Darkest Before The Dawn
by Two Ladies by the Shore
Summary: Lee, distrubed by dreams, puts past demons to rest.
1. Prologue

We do not own these characters. We are only taking them out for a test drive. We promise to put them back where we found them. Scarecrow and Mrs. King is a trademark of Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon Enterprises. No infringement intended.

Author: Two Ladies By The Shore

Rating: PG-13 for drama, angst and a couple of swear words.

Thanks to Ermintrude for beta-reading this for us. All other errors are the mistakes of the authors.

**DARKEST BEFORE THE DAWN**

**Prologue **

_The D.C. streets were full of vacationing tourists and government employees just getting off of work, when the sleek silver sports car pulled up in front of an empty office building. Lee Stetson stepped out of the car and onto the pavement. He turned to his partner, before shutting the car door. "Call Billy. Get backup rolling." Lee drew his gun, his eyes scanning the area carefully. Then he motioned to his associate to get out of the car, and head towards the front door._

"_Scarecrow—on your right," a voice warned him, but it was too late._

_There was no mistaking the sound of rounds being fired off, closely followed by the smashing of glass, as bullets hit the car's windshield. Lee turned back towards the street and scanned the buildings, looking for signs of the gunman. It was all happening so quickly that he didn't have time to think, time to act, time to do anything. _

_He was still scanning the area when he heard his partner shout his codename again. On instinct he spun around yelling, "Get back inside the car!" __Another loud crack tore through the air and Lee's eyes went wide with shock as hot metal ripped through the flesh of his back. There was no time to reach out, stopping himself from falling. He collapsed, his head hitting the pavement and then his world went black._

_Lee stood next to his wife, Amanda, at Arlington National Cemetery. In front of them was a flagged draped coffin. Amanda looked sad, and his heart ached for her. Her face tear streaked, as she held on tight to their six-month-old daughter. He turned to see his two stepsons standing with their grandmother between them, __holding onto her. She too had been weeping openly. Billy, Francine and the Colonel were there also. Lee looked around trying to figure out whose funeral they were all attending. He reached out to take hold of his wife's hand, to reassure her that everything was going to be all right, but grasped nothing. 'What's going on?' he thought, looking around. He shook his head. No. No. He would not believe this was his funeral. The crack of seven rifles firing into the air broke him from his reverie. Then again he was a man on a mission. He stepped forward to look at the temporary nameplate on the stake, pushed into the soft ground. 'Lee Stetson' it read. He stepped back, and once more shook his head, as the seven rifles fired again and again. He shouted, _"Nooooooo!"


	2. Act 1

**Act One**

_Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream? Edgar Allan Poe_

**4247 Maplewood Drive**

**Monday, July 3, 1989**

**8:25 AM **

"Here you go." Lee walked into the family room, a damp cloth in his hands. He sat on the sofa beside Jenna, who sat in what Amanda called her 'bouncy chair.' Jenna whimpered, dark eyes looking at him, her face damp with tears that ran down her flushed cheeks.

"Munchkin, I know you're not crazy about this." Lee carefully placed the cool washcloth on Jenna's forehead. "But it should help you feel a little better. Okay?"

Instead of calming Jenna down, the placement of the washcloth seemed to have the opposite effect. His daughter's response to this was to squeeze her eyes shut, her tiny hands clenching into fists. A whimper changed into a series of outraged cries—each one louder than the last.

"Oh Jenna." Lee ran one hand through this hair, thinking that he'd never felt more useless in his entire life. After all, if he couldn't help his own child to feel better, what could he do? More drool came from Jenna's mouth, running down her chin and onto the bib around her neck. Lee grabbed a tissue from a box on the coffee table and wiped at it gently. That was when she chose to grab his hand. Jenna pulled Lee's hand towards her mouth—her gums clamping onto his fingers and she bit down hard—

"Amanda!" Lee called out.

"Here you are, sweetheart." Bending over Amanda gently extricated Lee's hand from his daughter's mouth and replaced it with a chilled teething ring. Jenna's cries stilled as she gnawed at the cold object.

"Are you sure we shouldn't take her to the doctor?" Lee asked. "She's still running a fever."

"Lee, she's only running a 100 degree temperature." Amanda ran her hand gently down the side of Jenna's cheek. "I gave her a dropper of infant Tylenol—that should help to bring it down."

"What if it doesn't?"

"If it doesn't then Mother will call us. She has the number."

"I know, that." Lee hesitated before saying, "It's just—"

"She had a good appetite this morning and she doesn't seem listless or lethargic. A low-grade fever is normal when babies are teething."

"I guess," he sighed. "I know you're probably right, I just hate to see her feeling so bad."

"Well that's because you love her so much." Amanda bent down, her lips brushing against his briefly. "By the way, have you seen my shoes?"

"They're not in the closet?"

"Well that's where I thought they were." Amanda looked down at her stocking feet. "I really wanted to wear those shoes with this new outfit on my first day back to work. I guess I could've misplaced them, but I could've sworn they were in there yesterday."

"Ah—" Lee looked down at Jenna and then back up to Amanda. "You know, there's really no reason to rush anything."

"To rush what?" Amanda asked.

Lee had the feeling that he was walking into a hornet's nest, but for some reason he couldn't seem to stop himself. "All I'm saying is that I'm sure Billy would understand if you need some additional time. The Agency is pretty flexible about maternity leave."

"Exactly what are you trying to say?"

"I'm not trying to say anything. I'm just saying that there's no rush to come back to work if you don't want to."

"But I do want to." Amanda looked at Lee, biting her lower lip. "Don't you want me back as your partner?"

"Of course I want you back." Lee turned back to his daughter. "I just wonder if maybe Jenna needs you more at home. She's sick, after all."

Amanda's face flushed slightly. "She's teething, Lee. She's not deathly ill. And if you think that I—"

"Jenna will be just fine here with me, Lee," Dotty broke in, coming downstairs, carrying a cup of tea and the crossword puzzle. "The boys spent the night over at Kenneth's house and we'll have a nice quiet morning together—won't we, Jenna?" Jenna babbled as she gummed the teething ring—it almost sounded to Lee as if she was talking back.

"Shouldn't you two be heading off to work?" Dotty looked at the clock. "It's nearly 8:30 already."

"Well I thought that's what we were doing." Amanda knelt down, peering underneath the sofa.

"Oh, and by the way darling," Dotty said. "Your shoes are in the bathroom—I borrowed them last night. They were the only shoes that went with that dress that Captain Curt bought me."

"Thank you, Mother." Amanda started towards the stairs. "I'll just go get them." She shot Lee a look, letting him know that their conversation was far from over.

**Q-Bureau **

**9:05 AM **

"Amanda, come on now— I didn't exactly mean it that way." Lee followed his wife into their office, narrowly missing the door that swung within inches of his face.

"Fine." Amanda crossed her arms, facing him. "Then how did you mean it exactly?"

"I just—" Lee struggled for the right words. "Look, all I was trying to say was—"

"What?"

"At least let me finish my sentence. All I was trying to say is that there's no pressure to rush right back to work."

"Lee, I'd hardly call six months 'rushing right back to work'."

"I know that."

"Just because I'm working does not make me a bad mother." Amanda put her purse of the back of her chair, then sat down at her desk. "I worked when the boys were small and they turned out just fine."

"Would you stop putting words in my mouth? I never said you were a bad mother."

"Just explain to me what you were trying to say."

"I guess I just worry." Lee sat on the edge of his desk and ran both hands back through his hair. "Jenna's starting to crawl now, she gets into everything—she gets sick—there are about a million-and-one-things that could go wrong, and your mother—well—she 's not as young as she used to be, is she?"

'Great,' he thought to himself. 'Now I'm the one who rambles.' Amanda was silent for a few moments, just staring at him.

"Lee, my mother is just as capable as some women half her age. She'll be fine with Jenna. Is that really all you're worried about?"

"Yes of course it is." Wasn't it? For some reason Lee couldn't lift his eyes to meet his wife's piercing gaze.

"You know if I didn't know any better I'd almost say that you don't want me here at all."

"Amanda that is not—" before Lee could finish his sentence the phone rang. Lee picked up the receiver.

"What?" He practically barked into the phone.

"Well, someone certainly got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Francine teased.

"Can it, Francine. What do you want?"

"Billy wants you down in his office right now."

Lee looked at Amanda, who was now looking away from him and down at her hands, her lips pressed tightly together. "Can't it wait?" he asked Francine. "We're sort of in the middle of something here."

"Right now, Scarecrow. This is a priority situation." The phone went dead and Lee hung up the receiver.

"That was Francine," he said unnecessarily. "Billy wants us in his office immediately."

"So I gathered." Amanda stood up. "Let's not keep him waiting, then." Without another word or glance at Lee she swept out of the office, slamming the Q-Bureau door behind her.

**SMK SMK SMK SMK**

Lee and Amanda walked through the bullpen towards their supervisor's door. Lee knocked on the door before letting himself and Amanda in. Amanda sat down in one of the conference chairs and Lee sat down in the one next to her. Neither one looked at the other.

Billy looked up and smiled. "Welcome back Amanda."

"Thank you sir. It's good to be back." She glanced over at her husband, and saw him roll his eyes. Billy looked at Lee and then Amanda. He could see the tension in both of their eyes.

"Scarecrow. Amanda. What is it with you two?" He sat at the edge of his desk looking at his agents.

Neither agent spoke for a moment.

"Nothing, sir. It appears we didn't leave a little disagreement we had earlier this morning at home. We're sorry, sir. It won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't. When the Agency agreed to let you remain partners, it was because you were effective partners. If your relationship is going to affect your partnership, maybe it would be best if you two didn't work together."

"Understood, sir."

"Lee?"

"Yes Billy, I understand." He looked over at Amanda, giving her a timid smile, before mouthing, "I'm sorry."

"Lee, I don't want to fight with you," she whispered.

"I know," he whispered back.

"And how is my goddaughter?" Billy asked, changing the topic of discussion.

"Teething, right now, sir. She's been a fussy baby and I'm afraid no one in the house has been getting much sleep."

Billy nodded his head understanding.

"So what's up?" Lee asked their boss.

Billy picked up a dossier from his desk. "I had a priority one assignment for you two, but I'm going to reassign it. I have another assignment for you two."

"Come on, Billy. We're both adults. Don't treat us like children," Lee grumbled.

"I'm not Lee. I wasn't sure if I should give you this assignment. I was going to send a rookie to interview her, but I think it would be best if I sent you and Amanda. I think it's time."

"Time?" Lee asked perplexed.

"I received a call from Kathy Jarvis this morning."

Lee was silent for a couple of minutes before asking, "How is she?"

"Fine. She asked about you."

Lee nodded his head, looking down at the floor.

Amanda looked at Lee and then Billy.

Billy could see the confusion on Amanda's face. "Kathy Jarvis, she's Eric Javis's widow. Lee's-"

"I know, sir," she said stopping Billy from completing his sentence. She knew how hard it was for Lee, still to this day, to speak of his old partner.

"She's in the process of moving and stumbled across some Agency related notes of Eric's. It might be related to something he was working on before his death. I would like you and Amanda to go and retrieve them."

"Certainly sir," Amanda answered enthusiastically. She stood up looking towards Lee.

Lee stood up nervously putting both hands in his pockets, rocking back on his feet. He blew out a breath, before nodding his head. Then taking his left hand out of his pocket, he took Amanda's hand, leading her out of the office and towards the elevator.

**SMK SMK SMK SMK **

"Come right on in." Kathy Jarvis held open the door as Lee and Amanda entered. "Please excuse all the mess and boxes. I was right in the middle of packing."

"Believe me, Mrs. Jarvis, we understand," Amanda said. "Thank you very much for calling us."

"Yes, thank you." Lee stared hard at the ground as he spoke, not meeting anyone's gaze.

Kathy looked at Amanda. "I don't believe we met before."

"No we haven't." Amanda extended her hand. "I'm Amanda Stetson."

"Stetson?" Kathy repeated, comprehension dawning on her features. "Then you and Lee are married?"

"Yes," Amanda said. "It's been over two years now."

"Any children?" Kathy asked.

"Well I have two boys from a previous marriage. And Lee and I have a little girl, Jenna—she's six months old now."

"It certainly has been a while, Lee." Kathy smiled at Lee. "Eric used to say that you were a bachelor for life."

Lee cleared his throat, finally lifting his eyes. "Yeah—" he nodded. " I remember that. How are your girls?"

"They're fine. Michelle's beginning high school in the fall and Erica's going to be a senior this year." Amanda stared at a photograph lying on a nearby table—it looked like a Christmas photo—Kathy and two younger girls, their arms around each other, all smiling for the camera.

"That's wonderful," Lee said. "I'm—I'm still so sorry about what happened to him, Kathy. Eric was a great partner—he didn't deserve to go like that."

"Lee you can't blame yourself." Kathy's blue eyes clouded as she spoke. "Eric knew the risks of the job as well as anyone. You were injured yourself trying to save him—I certainly don't blame you." Lee fell silent, staring at the floor again.

"You said that you found these papers inside Eric's desk?" Amanda said.

"Well I was trying to empty the desk, when I realized that one of the drawers was stuck," Kathy pushed a stray lock of hair behind one ear as she spoke. "I'm afraid that I never went through the desk after what happened, and when I got a knife to pry it open these papers flew out. They were stamped as classified so I thought I should probably call the Agency."

"Any idea what the papers are about or what he could've been working on?" Amanda asked.

Kathy shook her head. "Everything at the Agency was always need-to-know—I'm afraid that high school teachers don't have security clearance." Walking over to the sofa, she picked up the file folder and handed it to Lee.

"Thank you," Lee said softly.

**SMK SMK SMK SMK **

"It's a case file." Lee flipped briefly through the file folder before handing it to Amanda. He started the car and put it into gear. "The last case we were working on before—it probably should've been returned to the Agency but no one bothered to check to see if it had." Lee suppressed a little shiver looking at all this, with the little notes and noodles that Eric used to put in the margins had given him a sick feeling—like he was intruding somewhere that he was never meant to be.

"Kathy seems like a very nice woman," Amanda said.

Lee made a left onto Glebe road. "Yes, she is. Raising two children on her own couldn't have been easy."

"I know the feeling."

A muscle in Lee's jaw twitched. "Yeah," he spoke quietly. "I know you do."

"She's right, you know." Amanda placed a hand on her husband's shoulder. "Eric's death—it wasn't your fault. You did all you could to save him."

"Yeah—everything short of actually saving him."

"Don't do this to yourself."

"I was the agent of record, Amanda. I was the one they were after. The bullet that Eric took was mine—it should've been me."

"Yeah and then I wouldn't have you and we wouldn't have Jenna," Amanda reminded him. "Is that really what you'd want?"

"No, of course not." Lee gripped the steering wheel tighter. "I just—I don't know."

"I understand." Amanda squeezed his shoulder gently. Lee reached up and gently placed his hand over her own.

**SMK SMK SMK SMK**

**Later that evening**

"Hey there, Munchkin." Lee bent over Jenna's crib. "Aren't you supposed to be asleep by now? Hmm?"

Jenna's response to his question was an excited stream of babble as she busily chewed on the teething ring. Her dark eyes, so much like Amanda's, looked intently into his own.

"Well it certainly seems like you're feeling better." Lee touched Jenna's forehead with the back of his hand, relieved to find that it wasn't quite as warm as it had been this morning. "Still drooling, though, but I guess that can't really be helped, can it?"

Grabbing a clean cloth from the nearby changing table, he gently wiped at her chin and cheeks.

"Did you enjoy your day with Grandma?" Lee asked her. "You had a good day?"

Jenna replied with more babbling, one small hand gesturing emphatically, prompting Lee to continue their 'conversation'.

"You did, Jenna? Really? That's all you have to say about it?" Jenna grinned as she continued her 'talking'—Lee found himself grinning back.

"You always have to have the last word, don't you, munchkin?" he teased, his hand lightly tickling her tummy. Jenna laughed.

"Thought I'd find you in here." Lee turned to see Amanda standing in the doorway; she walked over to him and he put his arm around her, pulling her to his side.

"She's supposed to be going to bed, you know," Amanda said. "I gave her some more infant Tylenol—that might help her to sleep through the night."

"I know. But I think she wanted to have a little talk—she seems to be feeling a lot better."

"So I heard." Amanda leaned her head against his shoulder. "And I think our daughter has a wonderful Daddy."

"Well she has a wonderful Mommy too, Mrs. Stetson."

"Ba ba ba," said Jenna.

"See? Our daughter agrees." His eyes fell on a picture on the far wall—a portrait of him, Amanda, Jenna and the boys from this last March—everyone dressed up, all smiling for the camera.

'_Having a child changes everything.' _Eric's words echoed in Lee's mind. He'd told Lee that about a month before his death—a month before he'd taken the bullet meant for—he thought about the picture he'd seen of Kathy and the girls without their father, about Kathy having to raise her children alone—

'_Not your typical two-career family…one of us might not come home for dinner, ever.' _

Despite the warmth of the July evening Lee shivered.

"Lee?" Amanda's voice broke into his thoughts. He looked down into his wife's face.

"Hmm?"

"Are you all right?" she asked him. "You looked like you were miles away."

"I'm fine," he told her. "Just tired, I guess." Jenna yawned, one hand rubbing at her eyes.

"I think someone else is tired too," Amanda said.

"I think you're right." Bending down over Jenna, Lee softly kissed his daughter's forehead. "Night Munchkin."

Amanda turned off all the lights, except for a small night-light. Together they left the nursery, closing the door softly behind them.

**SMK SMK SMK SMK**

_Buzzzzz._

_The alarm sounded. Lee rolled over, opening his eyes; he reached across the bed and felt nothing. He sat up quickly surveying the room. Something was missing. "Manda," he called out. 'What the hell?' he thought, trying to shake the cobwebs out of his head. 'Who the hell is Manda?' Maybe Margie, Melinda, Monica—but Manda? He reached over to his nightstand, turning off the offending sound. _

_Lee sat there noticing the first rays of sunlight coming into his bedroom. He ran his hand across his cheek feeling the early morning stubble. He couldn't image what he was thinking—he hadn't slept with a woman for several days—not since the busted package exchange with Special Agent Guthrie. He was still recovering from his injuries he obtained after being beat up by those Russian goons. _

_For that matter, why did he even bother to turn on the alarm? It wasn't like he was due in for work. Dirk Fredericks had suspended him pending a full investigation for losing the package, and with Dirk in charge of Internal Affairs—he figured he could kiss his career goodbye. It had been a tough year, first the loss of his partner, and now he felt responsible for the deaths of agents Fielding and Jeffries—and at the moment facing unemployment, too. _

_It wasn't as if the fates had other plans for him that cold October morning. He had come to the train station to pass off the package to Guthrie, __but again found himself being chased. He was running out of time and options and believed he could use the same ploy he had used__ in Munich with Dr. Forbisher's formula. He __desperately searched the platform, looking for the right candidate.__ He just knew he would know her when he saw her—and although the platform was crowded with early morning commuters, he never found her. __While trying to decide on another course of action, he became keenly aware of the train slowly pulling away from the station. Lee __turned to run, but the thugs caught him and tackled him across a baggage cart. One KGB agent held him from behind, while the other beat him severely. __Lee gently touched his sore ribs—and considered himself lucky to have escaped with his life._

_His dreams lately had been filled with images of a woman. She was wearing a nightgown under an overcoat and walked towards him. He had grabbed her asking her to walk with him. He could not shake the feeling of looking directly into her soul when he begged her to help him. He could feel his arms around her, the smell of her perfume, getting lost in her big beautiful brown eyes, the taste of her lips when they kissed, the love and trust in her eyes when they made love. Images of this woman overwhelmed him: them chained together in a swamp, holding her hand as they ran down a stairwell, dancing cheek to cheek, slipping a ring on her finger more then once, and the image of a crack in the windshield that spider webbed like the blood on her white sweater. It reminded him of another time he witnessed a windshield barraged with bullets, and the look on his partner's face as he saw him fall to the ground; his eyes wide with fright and blood foamed on his lips. Then __another loud crack tore through the air and Lee felt the bullet rip through his own skin, shattering his shoulder. Lee could do nothing but yell as his head hit the payment, "Oh my God!"_

"Lee? Wake up, honey! Wake up!"

Lee could feel the sensation of someone shaking him and could hear the panicked sound of a woman's voice, but still he was in that stage somewhere between being awake and asleep, he fought to come back. He sat up quickly and was finally able to open his eyes; he took in his surroundings. He realized he was in their bedroom and it was almost dawn. The early morning rays were just hitting the window. He turned to Amanda and saw the look of concern on her face.


	3. Act 2

**Act Two**

_Dreams are answers to questions we haven't yet figured out how to ask. X-Files (Fox Mulder)_

**The Q-Bureau **

**Tuesday, July 11, 1989**

**9:45 AM **

"Lee, what was Operation Alpha Dawn?"

"Huh?" Amanda's voice jerked Lee out of his half-doze; he straightened suddenly, looking over at the desk where his wife sat, file-folder in hand. "Operation Alpha what?"

"Operation Alpha Dawn." Amanda looked at him. "You fell asleep at your desk again, didn't you?"

"Where do you see Operation Alpha Dawn?" Lee said, neatly changing any discussion about his sleeping habits. The less he thought about his sleep—and by extension his dreams—the better off he was.

Amanda pointed. "It's listed here in Eric's notes, but I have no idea what it could be."

Lee shook his head. "I have no idea either," he admitted. "Does it give any details?"

"Not really. He just has them listed as possible suspects pending investigation. The thing is, I've read your case reports and I don't recall any mention of an Operation Alpha Dawn"

"That's because there wasn't any. Let me see." Rising to his feet, Lee walked over to Amanda's desk, looking over her shoulder. There it was, in Eric's spidery scrawl. It was even underlined.

"Ring any bells?" Amanda looked up at him.

"Afraid not," Lee sighed. "It doesn't make any sense—any information he had was supposed to be shared with me. We were partners, Amanda."

"Maybe he didn't have any information to share at that point," Amanda reasoned. "He probably wanted to do more research."

"I guess that's possible. Speaking of research, did the computer turn up anything?"

"Nothing. At first it said my access was denied and now it's telling me that the file can't be found."

"Here let me try under my ID." Lee leaned over Amanda as he punched in his user name and password, followed by the search phrase. There was a momentary pause as the screen went pitch black for a moment, followed by a series of flashing green letters:

**File Not Found.**

"That is odd." Lee ran both hands through his hair. "We should talk to Billy, Amanda—he might have some idea of what this is all about."

**SMK SMK SMK SMK **

"I'm sorry—I wish I had something to tell you." Billy handed the file folder back to Lee. "Unfortunately I'm as much in the dark about Operation Alpha Dawn as you are—I've never heard of it."

"Thanks Billy," Lee said. "It was worth a shot, anyway."

"What puzzles me, Scarecrow, is why you'd want to look into this now?" Billy asked. "It's been over six years—why not just let it lie?"

"Six years or not, he was still my partner." Lee's voice rose slightly as he spoke— Amanda placed a placating hand on his shoulder. "This was my case, and this was the case where Eric—where he—" Lee couldn't bring himself to finish that sentence. " I'd just like to be sure that I've tied up the loose ends."

"Unfinished business, you mean," Billy said.

Lee nodded. "Pretty much. I think I owe it to him."

"Maybe this will help you to lay old demons to rest." Billy was silent for a few moments, staring at them. "Okay. I'll give you the green light on this—for now. But if any new cases crop up in the meantime they take precedence. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir," Amanda said.

**SMK SMK SMK SMK**

_Lee Stetson stood in front of the open gravesite staring at the light maple wood casket. A large floral wreath had been placed on top. He heard the preacher speaking but didn't hear the words. The weather fit the day—an overcast sky—clouds threatening rain any moment._

_At only seven-years-old Lee found himself alone in the world again. His parents had been killed in a car accident when he was five and for the past two years he had been living with his grandmother, Marie. She had passed away suddenly a couple of days ago. The social worker that had come by the house said it was a heart attack._

_Mourners stood at the Stetson family plot, paying their last respects to the family. His grandmother was being laid to rest next to his grandfather, but his parents had been buried in Arlington National Cemetery. His grandmother said they served their country well, although Lee did not understand what that meant. He was dressed in a dark blue suit jacket much too big for him, his small hands hidden by the long sleeves. Lee gave a sideways glance to his uncle, who was dressed in military dress-blues. The man he had only met yesterday would from now on be responsible for him and this man was a stranger to him. _

_Lee felt numb and hollow inside. He tried not to cry; knowing there would be no sympathy or emotional response from his uncle. His uncle had already told him that he could have a good cry last night and then it was time to move on, and Lee __had given up being angry a long time ago.__ He felt a hand on his shoulder and the two of them walked away, without a glance back, towards the waiting car... _

_Lee and Kathy stood beside the black sedan. Kathy and Eric's young girls had already climbed into the car. He looked through the car window and gave the girls a timid wave. His right shoulder was in a cast and sling. Then turned his attention back to Kathy, giving her a gentle hug. _

"_I'm sorry, Kathy," Lee said. "Eric was a good friend and partner." _

"_Lee, don't be so hard on yourself," she said giving his hand a reasurring squeeze. "It wasn't your fault." She took out a tissue from her purse and wiped her eyes. "You know he loved you." _

_Lee nodded his head, trying to blink back his tears. "If there anything I can do for you or the girls—don't hesitate to call." _

"_Lee, promise me you won't let his death affect you. He wouldn't want that and promise you'll come by and visit the girls and me. We care about you, too." _

_Lee again nodded his head, as he opened the car door for her with his good hand. After she climbed into the car, he shut the door and watched the car drive off. He thought to himself, 'I should never have allowed myself to become so attached and I never will let that happen again. No never again. No, no, no!'_

"Lee, wake up." He felt someone shaking him awake. Lee was sweating profusely; breathing heavy and his heart was pounding rapidly. Gradually he began to slow down his breathing. He sat up looking around the room. He realized he had fallen asleep on the sofa in the Q-Bureau.

"Are you okay?" Amanda asked him concerned.

Lee shook his head.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He shook his head again.

"I think it would help. Remember, I'm a lot stronger than I look." She sat down next to him on the leather sofa.

"I had a dream," he slowly began to say.

"You have been having them a lot." She reached for his hand and squeezed it gently. "What have your dreams been about?"

"It's hard to explain—they all seem to be mixed up. I was at my grandmother's funeral and then all of a sudden I was at Eric's. I just can't explain it. Maybe I'm going crazy."

"Honey, they're just dreams—"

"I had a dream about the day Eric was killed." She nodded her head encouraging him to continue. "We had just pulled up in front of the building to meet our contact and shots rung out and I shouted for Eric to get back into the car before I was shot and then instead of standing in front of his memorial service I was standing there at mine."

She wrapped her arms around him. "Oh, sweetheart. It was just a dream and dreams can't hurt you."

"But you don't understand Amanda. It seemed so real. Everyone was there and you were crying and I wanted to take the pain away, but I couldn't."

She kissed his forehead. "Dreams are our subconscious telling us something. Let's see if we can figure out what's really been bothering you. Okay?"

Lee nodded his head, before beginning, "I think the dreams started around the time Jenna was born. I won't lie to you Amanda, but I'm scared. I'm scared for you and her. I fear history will repeat itself and that something happens to me, you, the boys and Jenna will grow up without me—just like Eric. Or if something happens to you and I, Jenna will grow up without her parents, just like I did. Who will take care of Jenna? Your mother's not a young woman anymore. I know she's healthy now, but things can change at a moments notice. Your aunts are in the same position as your mother. I have no blood relatives, except my uncle and you have no brothers or sisters. The boys have the rest of their lives to live and should not be saddled with a baby."

"Lee, I'm not going anywhere and neither are you."

"You know as well as I do Amanda, you can't make that promise in this business."

"Lee, look at me." She lifted up his chin and forced him to look at her. "I'm not going anywhere and neither are you," she repeated.

Lee put his arms around her and hugged her tight like he never wanted to let her go.

**SMK SMK SMK SMK**

The phone rang, the loud noise jarring the quietness of the room. With a sigh the man picked up the receiver. "Speaking,"

"Good evening, sir."

There was a sharp intake of breath. "Apparently you don't follow orders very well—I told you never to call me here."

"I think you'll understand why I called once you hear the news."

"If it's about Stetson, I already know."

"You do?"

A slight chuckle. "I think you'll find that there's very little that I don't know."

"Now that you know, what will you do about it?"

"It's already been done," the man said. "I've erased all the computer files pertaining to Operation Alpha Dawn. Stetson will soon give up his research once he discovers that there's nothing to find."

"And what if he doesn't give up?" The other man's voice was high-pitched with anxiety. "It never pays to get too sanguine, remember—"

"I don't need you telling me how to conduct my business."

"But we never did find all of Jarvis' research—"

"Keep looking," the man snapped.

"What about Scarecrow?"

"If he continues the investigation we may have to resort to more—shall we say—drastic measures?" Another small sigh. "It's regrettable, but Scarecrow may find himself joining his former partner much sooner than he anticipated."

**SMK SMK SMK SMK**

A man sat in his car observing the two-story house across the street. He didn't even remember purposely driving here. It was almost like he was on autopilot. He had been on his way home but suddenly felt a strange sense of protection come over him. He felt responsible for her. He was the reason she was in the position she was in.

He observed the Jeep pulling into the driveway and watched her and two teenagers exit out the car and walk towards the porch. He watched them enter through the front door. He turned forward knowing it was time to go home. He glanced once more towards the house and knew the occupants were safe for the evening. He turned the ignition key and the Corvette's engine roared to life. He put the car into gear and pulled away from the curb, heading down the road.

The kitchen curtains moved and Kathy watched the sports car drive past the house. She shook her head, slightly amused, whispering, "Lee."

**Q-Bureau**

**Thursday, July 13, 1989**

**12:30 PM **

"Nothing's ever really deleted from a computer." Matt Thompson's fingers tapped on the keys in a rhythmic motion as he spoke, his eyes not leaving the screen. "My kid thought that she'd accidentally deleted her English paper last week but I still managed to find it for her."

"And you think that's what might've happened in this case?" Amanda asked.

"Well from what you two have told me it certainly sounds like it," Matt said. "All the Agency computers operate on a network system—someone may have thought they'd deleted it but I'd be willing to bet that the data is still floating around in the harddrive somewhere—let me play with it and see what I can find out."

"Thanks Matt. If you find anything report it to either me or Amanda, okay?" Lee said. "No one else."

The expression on Matt's face was confused but he nodded. "Will do."

**SMK SMK SMK SMK **

**5:30 PM **

"Maybe I'm being a little paranoid." Lee turned the 'Vette onto Maplewood Drive. "It's just all so strange, Amanda. Agency files are very comprehensive—there should be something on an Operation Alpha Dawn—but two days of investigation and we've turned up nothing."

"Someone's trying to hide something," Amanda said. "Someone within the Agency itself?"

Lee nodded. "That would be my guess." He glanced at his wife, his hazel eyes troubled. "Apart from Billy I'm not sure who we can trust at this point."

"We can trust each other." Amanda squeezed his hand. "As long as we're together we can get through anything. Remember?"

Lee smiled faintly. "That I do, Mrs. Stetson."

**SMK SMK SMK SMK**

"Dinner's going to be on the table in an hour," Dotty said. "Jenna's playing on her blanket in the den and the boys are in there too—playing with the new Monopoly game that you bought them."

"New Monopoly game?" Amanda repeated. "Mother, what are you talking about?"

"UPS delivered it about ten minutes ago—it was addressed to Phillip and Jamie. Are you telling me that you didn't buy it for them?"

"No of course we didn't." Amanda exchanged glances with Lee. "Was there a return address?"

"It was from IFF. That's why I assumed it must be from you. Maybe it's from Mr. Melrose."

"Maybe," Lee said.

"Well whoever sent it was it was a nice thought," Dotty said. "The game does have some defects, though—all of the playing pieces are top hats and the train stations have very strange names—"

"Top hats?" Lee's face grew pale. Without another word he turned and strode towards the den.

"Lee?" Amanda called out as she followed her husband.

**SMK SMK SMK SMK **

"No, Munchkin— that money isn't yours." Phillip pulled the now-wrinkled money from his baby sister's grasp. Jenna gave a squeal of protest. "Boy, Grandma wasn't kidding when she said that you have to keep an eye on her every second."

"I don't see how we're going to play the game with Jenna around," Jamie said. "We already had to put all the pieces away so she wouldn't swallow them and besides that she drools all over everything."

Phillip picked up Jenna and put her back on her blanket. "I don't see how we're going to play the game anyway, wormbrain. All the pieces are the same." Undaunted by the move, Jenna began a slow creeping crawl back towards the boys and the game board.

"We could always dig up the old pieces from our old game."

Phillip snorted. "Yeah, good luck with that—our old game is only under fifty bazillion other games in the hallway closet."

"There must be something we can do."

"Hey Lee, what's up?" Phillip said as his stepfather came into the room. But instead of answering Lee picked up the game board and looked at it. His lips thinned and his face, which was already pale, grew even paler. He folded the game board shut with a slam and placed it under his arm.

"Lee?" Mom came up behind him. "Tell me what's going on." But if Lee heard he didn't answer or acknowledge her. He turned to Phillip.

"Where are the game pieces?" Lee asked. "You said they were all alike?"

Phillip nodded. "All top hats. We put them inside the box and closed it so Jenna couldn't swallow them."

"Let me see them." Both boys stared at him. "Now!" Phillip opened the box and handed Lee the metal top hats.

"I was going to try and dig out our old game pieces so we could still play," Jamie admitted.

"No," Lee said. "No one is going to play this game—not ever."

"Why?" Jamie asked. By that time Lee had already left the room. Jamie turned to his mother. "Mom what's the matter with Lee?"

"I don't know, fellas. But I'm going to find out."

**SMK SMK SMK SMK **

Amanda walked into the bedroom finding Lee sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at the Monopoly box, which sat in his lap. Amanda closed the door behind her. She bit her lip and tilted her head questioningly looking at Lee.

"What was that all about, Lee?" she asked in a harsh tone. "You've never raised your voice to the boys and you nearly scared them half to death."

"I'm sorry for scaring them, Amanda." He finally took his eyes off the game and looked up at her.

Amanda sat down on the bed next to him. "What has got you so upset?"

Lee lifted the lid of the box and handed Amanda the game board. "Look closely at the rail road spaces, notice what's written instead of the names of the rail lines." Amanda unfolded the game board and looked at the squares. "Yankee Doodle Pot Pie," she paused, glancing back at Lee.

"Go on."

"Duck A La Nathan Hale, Valley Forge Flap Jacks and…"

"Pilgrim's Peach Puff," he finished.

Lee stood up. He padded across the carpet towards the bedroom window. Opening the shades, he scanned the street down below; then turned back around to face her. "This is a warning Amanda. Someone is telling us to back off."

"Lee, how can you be so sure about that? This might just be someone's idea of a sick joke."

Lee shook his head. "Now look closely at the 'Free Parking' space."

Amanda turned the game board until she had that square in front of her. Someone had pasted a picture of a black hearse the with the words 'free ride.' Amanda closed her eyes hoping it would all go away.

"And how many people know Eric's codename?" Lee opened his fist. He had been clutching the playing pieces so tightly they had left marks on his palm. He dropped the hats into his wife's hand.

"Eric's codename was Top Hat."

Amanda's eyes opened wide.

Lee sat back down on the bed, next to her. "Someone from the Agency wants us to stop investigating Operation Alpha Dawn."

"I still don't understand how you are making that connection, Lee?"

"Read the chance cards, Amanda. They all read the same thing."

Amanda picked up the orange colored cards. She turned the first card over and read. "This is the beginning and the end of Scarecrow and his family if dawn changes to dusk."

She dropped the cards in fright. They floated harmlessly to the floor scattering on the carpet. "Someone from our own Agency is threatening our family? They know everything about us and we don't know who to trust." She swallowed hard. "Whatever are we going to do?"

Lee pulled her close to him, wrapping his strong arms around her. "I'll tell you what we're going to do—we're going to solve this mystery and stop this traitor. No one threatens our family as long as I have a breath in me."

**SMK SMK SMK SMK**

**Friday, July 14, 1989 **

**9:30 AM **

"Thank you for coming to me with this." Billy closed the Monopoly box, sitting on the edge of his desk. "I only wish that I could do more to help you."

"Isn't there some way to put a trace on the package, sir?" Amanda wondered. "At least we'd be able to determine what department it was mailed from and who authorized it."

"That was the first thing we thought of, Amanda. Unfortunately the package seems to have passed through several departments and the sender is only identified by the code name of Alpha—at this time we have no idea who Alpha might be."

"Great," Lee snapped. "Just great, Billy. So someone can use this Agency to send my family threatening messages and there isn't a damn thing that anyone can do about it? What if it had been something worse, like a bomb or something? What then, huh?"

"Scarecrow I promise you that I'm going to personally do all I can to help. Whoever or whatever is behind this Operation Alpha Dawn—we will find them. In the meantime we can offer you and your family protection."

"No, Billy—I will protect my own family," Lee said. "Nothing personal, but until we find out what this is all about I'm not sure who else I can trust."

"Understood. If I were in your place I'd feel the same way. What about Matt? Has he turned up anything on those missing files?"

"We were just on our way to see him, sir," Amanda said. "He phoned us late last night."

"Let me know what he finds out, will you?" Then Billy added, "And Scarecrow?"

Lee paused as he looked back at Billy, one hand on the door.

"Good luck."

Lee's only response was a brief smile and a nod.

**SMK SMK SMK SMK **

"Unbelievable." Matt muttered to himself as he stared at the files on the screen in front of him. The screen glowed in the dim light, giving his complexion a slightly greenish pallor. "No wonder he didn't want me to tell anyone else about this."

There was a light tap on the door. "Come in!" Matt called. The door opened with a slight creak, the soft sound of footsteps echoing across the floorboards.

"Lee, you will not believe what I found here," Matt spoke without turning around. "This organization goes deep, man, and it even involves—"

"Really, Mr. Thompson?" The man's voice was soft, with an unmistakable hint of menace. "I think you'd be surprised just what I believe."

Before Matt could say anything more something was put around his throat and drawn tighter and tighter. He gasped for breath, objects swimming in front of his eyes and lungs straining to breathe as he frantically tried to loosen the object. His field of vision turned bright red for a moment, followed swiftly by blackness and then nothing at all.

**SMK SMK SMK SMK **

"Let's see what you were doing there, Mr. Thompson," the man leaned over the now-slumped figure to peer at the screen. "Accessing deleted files—very naughty thing to do. Let's just see what I can do to help you here—" The man's fingers moved nimbly across the keyboard as he made the necessary changes.

"Want to play a little ball, Scarecrow?" the man murmured, a smile spreading over his face. "This time the field we'll be playing on will be mine."


	4. Act 3

**Act Three**

_They say dreams are the windows of the soul—take a peek and you can see the inner workings, the nuts and bolts. Northern Exposure (Henry Bromel)_

**The Agency **

**Friday, July 14, 1989 **

**10:15 AM **

"Matt?" Lee opened the office door and he and Amanda stepped inside. "You said you had some news—" His voice trailed off as he took in the scene before him—the empty desk, the glowing computer screen and the cup of coffee. "That's funny, Amanda—he isn't here."

Amanda touched the cup of coffee. "Still warm." She looked at Lee. "Maybe he just stepped out for a moment?"

"Yeah maybe." Lee ran a hand through his hair. "But something—." His eyes fell on a piece of paper in the chair. There was a triangle on the paper, with the word 'blue' written on it. A Zulu blue note. "Amanda, take a look at this."

Amanda took the note. "Need to meet," she read out loud— "then there's a bunch of numbers—degrees—looks like directional coordinates."

Lee was bent over the computer, looking at the screen, using the arrow keys to scroll down the page. He spoke without looking at her. "Must be something pretty big—it looks like he managed to access one file on Alpha Dawn here but this is very general—it doesn't tell us any more than we already knew. It doesn't tell us what they were about, who or what this 'Alpha' is—nothing." Frustrated, he hit the keyboard with his fist.

"Well he must have found something more," Amanda said.

Lee nodded. "That would be my guess. But whatever it is, we won't find it hanging around here—let's go."

**SMK SMK SMK SMK **

"It's done."

"You sure?" The man called Alpha cradled the phone against one ear as he spoke, his fingers idly playing with the paperweight on his desk.

"Very sure," the other man said. "Scarecrow is going to walk right into my trap, Alpha. By the end of the day he and his wife will be nothing more than a bad memory."

Alpha smiled. "Excellent."

**SMK SMK SMK SMK**

The winter rains had given the dirt road a washboard effect. The Corvette bounced along the ruts in the road. Lee silently swore. The only sound was the reverberation of the gravel hitting the undercarriage. The sports car hit a large rut and the car suspension bounced hard, jarring the occupants.

Lee looked over to his wife grimacing. "If I had known this road was going to be so bad, I would have brought the Jeep."

Amanda smiled back at him. "We're almost there, Honey. According to the map and coordinates the driveway to cabin should be around the next bend," she told him. "I just don't know why we're meeting all the way at here. It sure is secluded." Amanda looked out the passenger window admiring the summer sun filtering through the canopy of alder and spruce trees. She felt the 'Vette tires lose grip on the gravel road and knew Lee would instinctively press harder on the gas pulling the car out of the skid.

Lee turned the 'Vette down a narrow gravel driveway. "I guess Matt didn't want any prying eyes if he choice this place. Operation Alpha Dawn must really be bigger then what we thought. I wonder how he found this place?" Looking over at her, he noticed Amanda shrugging her shoulders.

"I'll just be glad to get out of the car and be able to stretch," she admitted, trying to stretch.

Lee pulled the car in front of the cabin. He unfolded his large frame, climbing out of the car. After looking around, he walked over to the passenger side, opening the door for his wife. She took his hand, allowing him to help her out.

"I have a bad feeling about this. Watch my back," he whispered into her ear. She nodded and watched him take his gun out of his holster. They both scanned the area cautiously. He motioned to her to head towards the cabin door. Climbing up the steps, she called out, "Matt."

They both heard the muffled sound of a dirt bike, coming up fast and furious. "Lee!" Amanda yelled.

He spun around, yelling at her, "Amanda, get inside the cabin!"

The gunman riddled the area with bullets. The first bullet hit the side of the car, then another blew out the front tire. An explosion of glass rained down around them as a bullet impacted the windshield. Lee swore—this was his fault he had led them into an ambush. He leaped unto the step, pushing Amanda out of the way shielding his body to hers. Another loud crack tore through the air and fire ripped through his shoulder, the impact spun him around. He fired his weapon, hitting the gunman. The man lost control of the bike, slamming it into a tree. Lee rolled off of her, but felt nothing but a white-hot burst of pain. Unconsciousness soon swallowed him.

She sat up quickly, calling out "Lee!" She crawled to his side. Fear washed over her when she saw blood pooling on his white shirt. She ripped his shirt open, gasping, "Oh my Lord." She shook him. "Lee, please stay with me. Please. Don't leave me," she cried. Her face grew pale as she felt the stickiness of his blood on her fingertips. She heard him moan.

"Lee," she shook him harder. "Open your eyes. I'm sorry I have to do this," she said slapping him. He moaned again. "Lee, you have to wake up now. I can't do this alone." Slowly his eyes began to flutter open.

"How bad?" he asked her.

Amanda tried to answer him. "Ahhh—you've been shot, but you're going to be all right. I need you to get up, so I can help you get into the cabin."

"Are you all right? We're you hit?"

She shook her head. "No, but I twisted my ankle, when we hit the ground."

Taking all his strength he could muster, he managed to pull himself into a semi-upright position. Lee grimaced in pain. He grabbed hold of Amanda's shoulder and the two of them hobbled into the cabin. Amanda lay Lee down onto the bed. She then limped over to the kitchen finding some towels.

Amanda lamely walked out to the rain barrel she had seen on the front porch, and was grateful to find it full of water. Coming back into the kitchen, she turned the stove on to boil some water. Soon she was at Lee's side again; using one of the towels she applied direct pressure on the wound. Lee eyes were gazed over and his breathing shallow. She knew her husband was not in good shape and she was worried. No one knew where they were and she had no way of getting them out.

**SMK SMK SMK SMK**

"Jenna," Lee murmured. His fists clenched and his breathing grew rapid, his forehead beading with sweat. His head tossed and turned restlessly. "Jenna no—please-"

_A girl sat slumped in the folding chair, clutching a small duffel bag to her chest. Her blond hair hung limp around her face and her dark eyes were red-rimmed, staring blankly at the empty desk in front of her. She was about nine, Lee guessed, maybe ten at the most but he knew her immediately. _

"_Munchkin," Lee whispered, knowing that Jenna couldn't hear his voice—knowing that if he wanted to wrap his arms around his child to take her pain away he'd only pass right through her like so much empty air. _

_The office door suddenly opened. A short woman with dark hair and a drab-looking suit entered. She sat down at the desk, flipping through some papers and not even looking at the child in front of her. _

"_You were with the Reilly family for three years after your grandmother's death, is that correct?" the woman asked. _

"_Yes, Mrs. Dockerty." Jenna's voice was barely audible. _

"_I was sorry to hear about Mr. Reilly's death, Jenna. But surely you can understand Mrs. Reilly's position—she has her own children to think about at this time." _

"_I understand." Jenna looked down at her hands, biting down hard on her lower lip. Her eyes were brimming, tears threatening to fall. Lee placed his hand just above her shoulder—maybe she didn't know he was there but he had to feel like he was doing something. _

"_And as both of your brothers are out of town you'll be staying at Dojer Hall—"_

_Jenna's head jerked up. "Dojer Hall?" she repeated. "But the last time I—"_

"_The last time what?" _

"_Nothing," Jenna sighed, the resignation in her voice cut through Lee like a knife. "It doesn't matter." _

"_It's just for the night." Mrs. Dockerty shut the file folder and stood. "We'll start looking for a new family in the morning. And no more tears, Jenna—you're old enough to know how things work by now." _

_Lee watched as Jenna shut her eyes and took a deep breath. A shudder seemed to pass through her body and then her eyes opened. Her dark eyes were blank now—all emotions hidden. Still clutching her duffel bag Jenna rose and followed Mrs. Dockerty out of the office. _

"_Jenna." Lee's voice seemed to echo in the empty office. "Oh munchkin, I'm so sorry." _

"Lee?" Amanda said. She had managed to fashion a bandage and splint using towels and strips of sheets—placing some plastic over the wound to prevent air from being sucked in. A cold cloth covered his forehead, just like the one he'd put on Jenna's forehead only a few days ago. Amanda touched his flushed cheek with the back of her hand and sucked in her breath sharply—'Oh God,' she thought—he's burning up.

"Jenna's fine, sweetheart—she's at home with mother and the boys. She's just fine."

"No," Lee spoke through gritted teeth. "She's not fine, Manda—orphan, just like me—grow up just like me—all alone."

"Listen, Lee Stetson." Amanda's voice shook as she repeated the words she'd spoken to him before. "I'm not going anywhere and neither are you, do you hear me? Lee?"

But if he heard her at all, he gave no sign.

**SMK SMK SMK SMK **

**The Agency**

**11:30 PM **

"Thank you, Francine." Billy took a sip of the coffee she handed him. "Any luck on Operation Alpha Dawn?"

Francine shook her head. "I've been through all the archives twice, Billy—there's still nothing."

"Somehow I didn't think there would be," Billy sadly admitted.

"What is all this about?" Francine asked.

"Hell if I know. I guess all we can do now is wait and see what Lee and Amanda come up with." The telephone rang and he picked it up.

"Melrose here."

"It's Ragmop, Mr. Melrose—I think you'd better come down here."

"Down where?" Billy asked. "What's going on?"

"I'm in Matt Thompson's office." Ragmop's voice crackled slightly over the line. "I opened up the closet and his body fell out— his neck is broken—it's looks like he was strangled."

"Damn it!" Billy gripped the phone tightly. "Any sign of Scarecrow or Amanda?"

"There's no one else here." Ragmop said.

"Stay there, Ragmop, and don't let anyone else in that office. I'm on my way."

**SMK SMK SMK SMK **

**Saturday, July 15, 1989**

**6:00 AM**

"Lee?" Amanda fought to keep her voice steady as she spoke. "Sweetheart, can you hear me?"

Her husband's only response to Amanda's voice was a faint murmur. His eyes opened slightly, the pupils glazed and unfocused. His teeth chattered and his whole body shivered—a sign that the fever, and the infection, was growing worse.

Overnight Amanda had managed to locate an old first-aid kit in the bathroom—she had carefully cleaned and redressed the wound but it hadn't helped to stop the infection—Lee's injury seemed to be beyond the scope of Amanda's basic first-aid knowledge.

'You knew you were going to have to do this eventually,' she thought to herself. 'Lee's not well enough to travel—there's no one else.' Still Amanda hated to leave him alone in this state. She pulled the blanket over him and wiped at Lee's forehead and face with another clean washcloth before placing the cloth on his forehead.

"I'm going to have to leave," she told him, not knowing whether he could actually hear her or not. "There's bound to be a Ranger Station within ten miles of this cabin—I need to get you some help, all right?"

Silence. Amanda swallowed hard, trying to hold back the tears. She took her husband's limp, warm hand in her own.

"I—I promise I'll be back soon. I'll find someone who can help us— and you'll be just fine." She took a deep breath. "I love you, Lee." Slowly Amanda stood, biting her lip at the pain that shot through bandaged ankle.

"—Manda," Lee's voice was very faint. His hand, still holding hers, squeezed slightly. "Take care—love you too."

**SMK SMK SMK SMK **

**The Agency **

**9:00 AM **

"It just doesn't make any sense, Billy." Francine sat at Matt's desk, staring at the screen as she scrolled down the document. "The killer was right here—he had this right in front of him. Why didn't he just erase the evidence?"

"Why would he bother?" Billy bent down, looking over Francine's shoulder. "That's not even useful—it doesn't tell us anything specific." He read the words on the screen out loud. "Operation Alpha Dawn ran from January of 1981 to July of 1985. The head of Operation Alpha Dawn is an agent known only as 'Alpha'— and we don't even know who the hell 'Alpha' might be."

"Any luck on locating Lee and Amanda?" Francine asked.

Billy shook his head. "None. It's like they've disappeared off the face of the earth. I can only hope they're still alive."

"You and me both," Francine said. "What about the family?"

"I have people I can trust keeping an eye on them." Billy straightened, pacing back and forth as he spoke. "At least I think I can trust them—at this point who knows. "

"You know whoever wrote this made a lot of errors. I've never seen an Agency document with so many typos."

"So they couldn't type." Billy shrugged. "Neither can I—it doesn't mean anything, Francine—just close the document."

"Doing it—now this is funny."

"What?" Billy sighed. "More typos?"

"Not exactly," Francine said. "It's asking if I want to save the changes."

"Save the—" Billy stopped his pacing as comprehension began to dawn. "They altered the document, Francine—that's why there are so many typos."

"So if I don't save the changes and then reopen it—" Francine's fingers danced over the keyboard. "And there's the original document."

"Let me see, that."

Francine stood as Billy took his place at the desk, looking at the document on the screen in front of him. His lips thinned as he scanned the information, one hand clenching into a fist.

"Well I'll be damned," he said softly. "Take a look at this, Francine."

"What is it?" Billy pointed to the screen. Francine's eyes widened as she read the information.

"Oh my God," she said. "Do you know what this means?"

"I know exactly what it means." Billy stood up, grabbing his jacket. "Come along, Francine. Let's go have a little word with our Mr. 'Alpha'."

**9:30 AM **

She had to rest, if only for a second.

Carefully Amanda lowered herself onto the nearby stump. Sweat ran down her face—she'd lost track of how many hours she'd been walking now. Her ankle throbbed painfully—she knew without looking that it was probably very swollen. Amanda's thoughts kept going back to Lee, alone and injured in that cabin, waiting for her to bring help.

But what if it was already too late? What if she'd left him too long? If she'd gone for help earlier, maybe—

'No,' Amanda told herself sternly. 'It's not too late. It can't be. You can't give up now.' She stood, every muscle in her body protesting as she limped down the narrow wooded trail. Help had to be somewhere nearby—Lee was depending on it.

**SMK SMK SMK SMK **

**The Agency – Interrogation Room**

Billy Melrose took a deep breath before reaching for the doorknob; turning it, he pushed the door open and stepped inside the small room. Francine followed behind him. She shut the door, leaning against the doorframe, her arms crossed. Billy looked at the man sitting in a chair, handcuffed to a metal table in the middle of the room. He walked over to the center of the room and placed both of his hands on the table, looking at the man in front of him.

"We have you dead-on-rights, Dirk. Now I suggest you start talking."

Dirk Fredericks grinned ruefully, answering emotionlessly, "That's a cruel assessment, Billy."

"We know you were behind Operation Alpha Dawn. Why man?"

"Why Billy? Think about it—think about the intelligence we gathered—I admit the method was a bit unorthodox but it was a tremendous value to the west—the benefits outweighed the risks."

"And Eric Jarvis."

"Jarvis—yes, unfortunately he discovered the truth about our operation, so I led him and Scarecrow into a little trap."

Billy exchanged a glance with Francine. "So Eric was the intended victim—all the time."

Dirk nodded his head. "The committee decided he had to be eliminated."

Trying to keep his emotions in check Billy turned away. He turned back around to face Dirk asking, "Where are Scarecrow and Amanda?"

Dirk smiled smugly. "Mrs. Stetson was always a bit overeager. Wasn't she? She just had to stick her nose where it didn't belong." He laughed. "Yes. Reluctantly, they both had to die."

"I won't ask again, Dirk. Where are Lee and Amanda?" Billy hit his hand on the table.

Dirk looked up at Billy. "It won't matter. They're both dead."

Billy looked over at Francine nodding his head once. She opened the door letting in Doctor Quidd. Dirk looked at the doctor and lost all expression on his face, noticing the syringe in the doctor's hand.

"What's in there?" he asked nervously.

"Oh, just a little truth serum, Dirk."

"What? Now you listen here—"

Doctor Quidd walked towards Dirk, but Billy held up his hand stopping him. "I'm listening."

"Okay, I'll tell you where they are."

**SMK SMK SMK SMK **

_Lee's life flashed before him— life's images flipped like pages in a photo album. Faint memories he had of his parents, the hard years living with the Colonel on military bases throughout the world, the many years at the Agency, and one fateful October morning. No longer the stone-cold agent who would not let emotions get to him—Amanda had long since removed that wall—brick by brick. Now feelings were coursing through him—the strongest being guilt. And images—images of cracked windshields, the sound of shattering glass, shards of glass raining down on them—_

_He saw himself riding in a blue colored sedan heading down the highway. He could feel the warmth of the sun coming through the front window. He glanced over at his beautiful wife and smiled at her. She noticed him looking at her and warmly smiled back, her eyes filled with love. He was thinking how lucky he was and how much the simple phrase 'walk with me' had forever changed his life. Everything was picture perfect. Beautiful weather, palm trees blowing gently in the sea breeze, the faint smell of the salty Pacific Ocean in the air, two soul mates truly in love with each other, ready to start a new life together. Lee pulled the car up to the pier. He had just opened the door, and stepped out, when he heard his friend, Barney, holler, "Get down, Lee." On instinct Lee yelled, "Amanda, get inside the car!" He could hear the sound of bullets ricocheting off a chain link fence posts. Again he found himself in a position where everything was happening too fast—and no time to think, or do anything. A few moments later, he opened the car door, and saw blood soaking through her white sweater. He rushed over to the passenger side of the car, throwing open the door; he pulled her close to him. As he held her, he could feel her life slipping away. He pleaded with God to take him instead._

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**12:30 PM**

"There." Billy raised his voice to be heard over the constant whirring sound of the helicopter blades. From up here they could make out the small figure of a woman, moving slowly across a forest clearing. "You see her?"

The pilot nodded. "There's no sign of Scarecrow."

"I know." Billy's right hand tightened into a fist as he tried to quell the growing anxiety in his gut. Lee was more than just an employee; he was also a very close friend. If anything had happened to him Dirk was going to pay.

"We'll land and talk to Amanda," Billy told him. "There must be a good explanation— there's no sense in jumping to conclusions before we know something concrete."

He only wished that he could believe his own words.

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"Billy," Amanda croaked. "I can't—can't breathe."

"Sorry." Billy stepped back. "I'm just so happy that you're all right, Amanda. Dirk told us that he'd—what happened to your ankle?"

"Sprained it, I think. We ran into a little trouble."

"I would think that's an understatement," Billy replied back.

"Wait a minute," Amanda said. "Did you say Dirk? As in Dirk Fredericks? He was behind all of this?"

Billy nodded. "Dirk and a few others. The rest are being rounded up by Dr. Smyth as we speak, but Dirk appears to have been the ringleader. I can brief you on more details later on. Where's Lee, by the way? He isn't—"

Amanda shook her head. "No. At least I don't think so— but he was shot in the shoulder and I think he's developed an infection—I left him in the cabin to get help. I just hope he's— that I wasn't too—" Amanda couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence. Tears welled up in her eyes; the fear and anxiety of the last few hours seemed to hit her all at once. Amanda felt her knees sag. Billy's hands held onto hers, supporting her. His dark eyes stared deep into her own.

"We'll take the helicopter to the cabin," he told her. "Don't worry, Amanda—Lee will be fine—you have to keep believing that. All right?"

Wordlessly Amanda nodded.

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"Amanda?" Lee whispered. He wondered if he was dreaming or hallucinating—he'd certainly done more than his share of that these past few hours. But his wife's cool hand brushing against his cheek certainly felt real enough. .

"Just rest, Lee," Amanda said. "We're going to get you help now—you'll be just fine."

'Just fine,' Lee thought to himself. For some reason hearing those words gave him a sense of peace—something that he hadn't felt in quite a while. From the noise and the vibrations Lee would guess they were on a plane or a helicopter but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't seem to recall how he'd gotten there.

"What happened?" he asked as snatches of memory came floating back. "The man who tried to kill us—was he—"

"Shh." Amanda continued to stoke his cheek. "Don't worry about it—we'll talk about that later."

Part of Lee wanted to know all of the details now but he didn't think he had the energy to argue. "Later," he said. "—going to hold you to that, Mrs. Stetson."

Amanda's eyes were filled with tears but she was smiling. "It's a deal, Mr. Stetson."

"—don't—you forget it." Lee felt his eyes beginning to close. "Love you, Amanda."

Her lips briefly brushed against his. "I love you too."

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_He saw her from across the room watching her gracefully move across the dance floor. He would never tire looking at her. God, was she beautiful dressed in that white dress, with her hair all pulled back. Her face lit up the whole room and her eyes were brimmed with happy tears. _

_He walked over to her and tapped a gentleman's shoulder. "May I?" he asked. The man bowed and stepped back. Lee took the hand of this beautiful woman and gazing into her dark brown eyes, he smiled down at her asking, "Would you care to dance?" _

_She nodded her head and he wrapped his arms around her waist, while she draped her arms around his neck, whispering, "I love you, Daddy." _

_Lee kissed his daughter's cheek. "Love you too, Munchkin." _

_Gliding across the dance floor he glanced around the room spying his lovely wife smiling back at them. Silently he thanked God for the women in his life. Yes, Lee Stetson was a lucky man. _

**Tag**

**4247 Maplewood Drive**

**Sunday, July 30, 1989**

**2:30 PM **

"Where's the rattle, Jenna?" Lee sat at the picnic table, his shoulder still in a sling and his daughter in his lap. "Where'd it go, huh?"

Jenna's dark eyes were wide as she looked at the checkered tablecloth in front of her, searching for the object that Lee had hidden under a napkin only seconds ago. She reached out and lifted the napkin, revealing the rattle and laughing in delight as she did so.

"Good job, Munchkin." Lee kissed the top of his daughter's head. From the nearby boombox came the faint sounds of Janet Jackson's 'Miss You Much.' The aroma of the burgers that Amanda and Dotty were grilling wafted through the air and mixed with the scent of freshly-mown grass.

"Phillip next time can you remember to kick the ball into our goal and not theirs?" Jamie was saying as the two boys walked past. "Getting beaten by girls is just embarrassing."

"Get over it, wormbrain, it's only a soccer game."

"Phillip, don't call your brother a wormbrain," Lee warned him.

"Sorry, Lee," Phillip said. "But the worm—I mean my brother—gets all uptight about a little backyard game."

"Yeah well maybe if you haven't been so busy flirting with Erica—"

"Shut up about that." Phillip lowered his voice and Lee watched him cast a sideways glance towards Erica Jarvis who was standing across the yard with her sister, their heads close together, giggling. Erica looked towards Phillip, the corners of her mouth turning up into a grin. Lifting her hand, she gave him a little wave.

Jamie looked to Erica and then back to his brother and walked away, shaking his head in obvious disgust.

"The burgers are ready," Amanda called out. Jenna babbled and Lee bounced her gently up and down in his lap.

"Your brothers are funny, aren't they Munchkin? One day you'll be a teenager, too." As that thought went through his head he gave an inward wince. "But you won't be a teenager for a good long while, yet," he told her.

"Ba-ba," Jenna answered back.

"I never thought I'd see the day." Lee looked up to see Kathy Jarvis, holding two plates in her hands. "Lee Stetson with a baby girl."

"Things change."

"That they do." Kathy smiled. "Amanda told me to give you this." She handed him the plate and took a seat beside him.

"Thanks." Lee put the plate in front of him, moving it so that it was out of reach of Jenna's curious fingers.

Kathy was silent for a moment. "I'm the one who should be thanking you," she said, breaking the silence. "For finding Eric's killer—putting all this to rest. It sounds strange, but I always had the feeling that there was something missing about my husband's death, something—unfinished. Does that make sense?"

"Makes perfect sense. I think that maybe I felt the same way. You don't have to thank me, Kathy. It was the least I could do for him."

"Now maybe we can both have closure," Kathy told him.

"Lay old demons to rest," Lee spoke quietly, repeating the phrase that Billy had used.

"Eric would be proud of the way you turned out, Lee."

Lee looked over at Amanda near the grill—her gaze met his own and just like in his dream she smiled.

"Yes," Lee said. "I am a very lucky man."


End file.
